John Merrifield's 1 name appears in a list of passengers who came to our shores in 1635. His subsequent history is unknown. From the writings of Savage I learn that HENRY MERRYFIELD, of Dorchester, Mass., by wife Margaret, had:

1. JOHN,2 bapt. April 15, 1649.
2. ELIZABETH,2 bapt. April 15, 1649.
3. RUTH,2 bapt. April 15, 1649.
4. HANNAH,2 bapt. April 7, 1650.
5. MARY,2 bapt. April 18, 1652.
6. ABIGAIL,2 bapt. Aug. 3, 1656.
7. BENJAMIN,2 bapt. Dec. 12, 1658.
8. MARTHA,2 bapt. April 28, 1661.
9. HENRY,2 bapt. July 31, 1664.

John Merrifield2 settled in Dorchester, and died in middle life, leaving BARAK3 and HANNAH.3  

John Merrifield,2 of Dorchester, Mass., had children born there named:

1. JOHN,3 b. Feb. 10, 1665.
2. MARY,3 b. May 14, 1667.
3. SARAH,3 b. May 14, 1669.
4. HANNAH,3 b. Dec. 6, 1670.
5. THOMAS,3 b. Jan. 1, 1672.
6. JOSEPH,3 b. Aug. 6, 1676.

Elizabeth Merrifield,2 was married to Thomas Pope, of Dorchester, Mass. (he born Oct. 27, 1643), and settled at Cape Ann.

Thomas Merrifield1 came from the north of Scotland (?) to Boston in 1700, and had children named as follows:

1. JOSEPH,2 settled in Salem. He married Hannah Hill, Sept. 15, 1736, settled in Holliston, and had:

I.     HANNAH,3 b. Mar. 16, 1737.
II.   AARON,3 b. Oct. 28, 1738, of whom hereafter.
III. JOSEPH,3 b. Jan. 1, 1740. IV. ABIGAIL,3 b. June 9, 1744. V. SARAH,3 b. May 1, 1746.
VI.  JOHN,3 b. Aug. 13, 1749, of whom hereafter.

2. AARON,2 settled in Medway. Two sons went to Newfane, Vt., and their posterity live there.

3. THOMAS,2 settled in Dover; probably married in Groton, Mass., July 12, 1732, Mary Anderson. His children were, as far as known:

I. SARAH,3 b. Sept. 27, 1736.

II. TIMOTHY,3 b. Jan. 4, 1739, who ran away from home when 16, and was in the French and Indian war. He was a scout during the Revolution, but took part only in one battle, that of Tiverton. He m. Achsah Cheney, May 22, 1766, and had a son, Francis,4 and a dau.; both children and wife d. in 1770. He then m. June 10, 1772, Mercy Perry, of Milford, Mass., who was cousin to Com. Perry. He settled in Worcester in 1786. He d. in 1806, aged 68. His children, b. at Sherburn, were Caroline,4 b. Dec. 16, 1775; Chloe,4 b. Oct. 8, 1777, and Alpheus,4 b. Nov. 12, 1779.

III. ASAPH,3 b. Jan. 2, 1741; m. Abigail Richardson, Feb. 2, 1764, and had two children born in Sherburn, Mass. He may have m. Mercy (???) for second wife; moved to West Boylston in 1775, where he purchased a farm and resided until his death in 1820. His widow d. in 1845, aged 89. Children as follows:

(1). Arnold F.,4 July 25, 1778; went to Charlestown, where he was killed by lightning. His children, Charles5 and two daughters, who m. and settled in Manchester and Fitchburg.

NOTE.--"John Merrifield, though not in full communion, was called before the church [in Dorchester, 1677] to answer for his sin of drunkenness, and also for contempt and slighting the power of Christ in the church, in not appearing formerly, though called and sent unto; but he made some excuse for his drunkenness, in that being not well in Boston, he took a little strong water and coming out in the air his distemper [overcame] him; and for his other offense he did acknowledge his fault therein."

NOTE.--Mr. William Fettypeace, speaking of the history of East Boston: "My father not having any large possession of his own at a convenient distance to reciprocate the civilities of his kinsmen, invited them with their families and friends to a farm of his of about sixty acres, lying above Summer's paper-mills in Dorchester. This farm was called "Merryfields" after the name of the person from whom he purchased it. There was beautiful wood upon it, lying on the westerly bank of the Neponset river." This was previous to 1799, and shows where the early Merryfields resided in Dorchester.

(2). Lewis,4 b. Sept. 3, 1780; m. Phebe, dau. of Sylvanus Morse who d. in 1837, aged 60 years. He had a second wife who survived till 1853, being 63 years of age. These parents lived on the homestead of the wife's parents, and after their decease succeeded to the estate, and continued there until the close of life, being succeeded by son Lewis.5
(3). Sarah,4 b. Sept. 28, 1782.
(4). Grace.4
(5). Eunice.4
(6). Mary.4
(7). Hannah,4 d. age of 10.
(8). Abigail.4
(9). Mary,4 b. 1803, m. (???) Bryant and lived in Holden.
(10). Newell,4 went to New York and had issue.

IV.  PHEBE,3 b. Aug. 7, 1742; m. Feb. 21, 1766, Seth Ellis
V.   HANNAH,3 b. Sept. 4, 1745; m. Mar. 28, 1768, John Ranstead.
VI.  SIMEON,3 b. Aug. 7, 1747, of whom hereafter.

Alpheus Merrifield,4 born Nov. 12, 1779; married Mary Trowbridge, Nov. 20, 1804 (she b. May 31, 1783, and d. Oct. 7, 1858); second, Nov. 4, 1861, Lucy A. Brigham, of Grafton, Mass. Issue:

1. CATHERINE M.,5 b. Oct. 30, 1805; m. Amory Moore, of Boston, Mar. 11, 1830, and had issue.
2. WILLIAM T.,5 b. Apr. 10, 1807.
3. ALPHEUS M.,5 b. May 25, 1809; m. Emily A. Norton, Feb. 21, 1841; second, Nov. 21, 1866, Mary M. Waters, of Battle Creek, Mich., and had:

4. SARAH W.,5 b. Oct. 6, 1810; m. James S. Kettell, May 15, 1833, and d. Dec. 3, 1839, leaving a son.
5. FRANCIS N.,5 b. Feb. 22, 1815; m. Louisa A. Crosby, of Warren, N. H., Oct. 14, 1839, and had issue as follows:

I. SARAH W.,6 b. July 6, 1840; d. Apr. 23, 1861.
II. ANN,6 b. Dec. 17, 1841.
III. FRANCIS H.,6 b. Dec. 31, 1843.
IV. MARY A.,6 b. Mar., 1847; d. Aug. 24, 1848.
V. MARY T.,6 b. Aug. 7, 1850.
VI. CHAUNCY W.,6 b. July 11, 1852; d. July, 1874.
VII. JULIA W.,6 b. Dec. 7, 1854.

6. MARY A.,5 b. July 7, 1821; m. Oscar Fay, of Northampton, N. J., June 8, 1848. He d. June 16, 1862, and she m. Jan. 22, 1874, Dyer W. Fitch, of Erie, Pa.
7. ANDREW L.,5 b. May 5, 1826; d. Apr. 23, 1847.
8. AMELIA,5 b. Mar. 17, 1829; m. William F. Adams, Sept. 28, 1848. Four children.

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Aaron Merrifield,3 born Oct. 28, 1738, son of Joseph2 and Hannah Hill, wrote down a list of his children as will follow. He married Elizabeth, dau. of Ichabod and Ruth (Merriam) Robinson, who was born in Sherburn, Mass., June 1, 1746. He purchased the Dea. Abijah French farm of John Hill, Feb. 23, 1769, which he sold to Elihu Perry about 1790, and from an old deed it appears that he removed to Newfane, Vt., in 1792, when he sold his pew in the meeting-house at Milford, Mass., to which town he had moved from Sherburn. Issue:

1. AARON,4 b. Dec. 13, 1766.
2. AARON,4 b. Dec. 23, 1769.
3. MOSES,4 b. Mar. 22, 1772.
4. BETSEY,4 b. Feb. 22, 1774.
5. POLLY,4 b. June 23, 1776.
6. CYRUS,4 b. June 15, 1778.
7. DAVID,4 b. Sept. 17, 1780.
8. SALLY,4 b. Feb. 15, 1783.

John Merryfield,3 son of Joseph2 and Hannah, m. Mollie Metcalf, dau. of Michael Metcalf, of Franklin, Mass., b. Nov. 9, 1758; d. at Wrentham, Dec. 18, 1817, aged 59 years. He d. April 24, 1828. Children:

1. MARCUS,4 b. Mar. 6, 1781; m. Judith Highland. He d. Aug. 6, 1835. Children: Alanson,5 Henry,5 Betsey,5 Hattie,5 and Preston.5
2. JEMIMA,4 b. May 8, 1784; d. Mar. 8, 1816. Descendants.
3. PRESTON,4 b. Jan. 29, 1786; m. Clarissa Spooner, Oct. 23, 1810; she b. at Windsor, Sept. 15, 1791. Issue:

I.    ALDEN S.,5 b. Aug. 14, 1811; m. Julia Clark, Aug. 16, 1839; d. at Cincinnati, June 22, 1845; she d. at New Orleans, Sept. 18, 1841.
II.  HENRY P.,5 b. Feb. 3, 1813; m. E. Dorsey, of Port Gibson, Dec. 12, 1839; d. there, April, 1865.
III. GEORGE W.,5 b. Feb. 22, 1815; m. Harriet Churchell, of Woodstock, Oct. 10, 1845. He m. Anna Stevens, of Northfield, Vt., in Nov., 1849; she d. at Claremont, Aug., 1869. He m. Mary Briggs; lives in Claremont.
IV. JULIA A.,5 b. Jan. 18, 1817; m. A. H. Peck, Feb. 1, 1836, and d. at Port Gibson, Miss., Jan. 26, 1847.
V.   LUCINDA S.,5 b. July 6, 1819; m. Benjamin S. Moncton, July 6, 1840, and lives in New York city.
VI. CLARISSA S.,5 b. Nov. 13, 1821; m. William R. Clark, Sept. 17, 1847, and lives at West Charleston, Vt.
VII. CHARLES F.,5 b. Nov. 15, 1823; m. Adelaide Campbell; d. in Windsor, Vt., Aug. 4, 1850.
VIII. SARAH F.,5 b. Mar. 12, 1824; d. at Port Gibson, Miss., Dec. 4, 1843.
IX. THOMAS H.,5 b. Dec. 22, 1827.
X. JOHN M.,5 b. Feb. 21, 1830; m. Emma L. Hubbard, Oct. 22, 1860. No issue. He d. at St. Albans, Dec. 17, 1868; wife d. there, Mar. 29, 1865.
XI. MARIA F.,5 b. Mar. 8, 1832; m. Henry G. Merrifield, of New Haven, May 7, 1860; resides in Springfield.
XII. IDA S.,5 b. May 22, 1835; m. Alonzo D. Perry, of Newark, N. J., Aug. 30, 1855; m. Frank Whittaker, Jan. 6, 1869; resides at Windsor, Vt.
XIII. FRANCIS C.,5 b. Aug. 10, 1837; m. Statira Smith, Oct. 18, 1859, and resides at St. Albans, Vt. Children: Emma6 and George.6

4. JOHN,4 son of John and Molly, b. Nov. 28, 1788; m. (???); d. Jan. 8, 1828. Children in Franklin, Mass.
5. POLLY,4 b. Apr. 15, 1791; m. Colonel Harding, Franklin, Mass.
6. PATTY,4 b. Apr. 15, 1791; d. Jan. 15, 1802.
7. CHLOE,4 b. Jan. 8, 1795; m. Daniel Blake, Franklin, Mass., deceased. She d. May 14, 1822.
8. VALOROUS S.,4 b. Sept. 14, 1797; m. Prudence Piper, of Montrose, who d. in Boston about 1860. He died July, 1860 (?). Children: George,5 Gustavus,5 Mary,5 Fanny.5
9. METCALF,4 b. Feb. 14, 1801; m. Lydia (???); d. Jan. 3, 1828. Children:

I. JOHN D.5
II. WILLIAM,5 resides in New York city.
III. LOUISA,5 m. Alexander Berry (?); lived in Brooklyn.
IV. ANNA,5 m. (???) Brooks and lived in Brooklyn.

Abraham Merrifield,3 son of Thomas and Mary Anderson, was a spy in the Revolution. He drove a team from place to place, pretending to be a foolish peddler; often carried large amounts of gold and silver, but never lost any of it; once wounded in his leg by a bullet; was once married, but separated from his wife, by whom no issue.

While keeping house alone in Canada tradition says his fire went out, and he hurried across the way, shovel in hand, to borrow a brand from his neighbor, who, having just moved in, was unknown to him. He knocked at the door, and, to his astonishment, the woman who responded proved to be his former consort. The following day he packed up and left, since when nothing definite was known about him. There was a tradition that he married a second wife and left children in Canada. He was a singular character and something of a wit. While serving in the army, an unpopular subordinate was suddenly promoted to the rank of quartermaster general. Some of his comrades noticed the letters on his new uniform and asked what these signified. Merrifield quickly responded: "Quickly Made Gentleman."

Thomas Merryfield1 removed from Westfield, Mass., and carried all his possessions on a horse to the mountains of Becket, where he built a large three-storied house that is still standing. He is said to have been an Englishman; his wife of Irish nativity. But they were not contented, and after having ten children exchanged the farm for new land in Ohio, then called the "Western Reserve," and with slow-moving team, in company with relatives and neighbors, migrated to the then "far West."

An old, discolored letter forwarded by a member of the family, written in 1859 by a woman in her NOTE.--In the "History of Sherburn and Holliston" there is no mention of John (4), Polly (4), Patty (4), Chloe (4), Valorous (4), and Metcalf (4), while there is an addition of the following: 1. Jemima (4), b. Sept. 10, 1804. 2. Parker (4), b. Dec. 6, 1806. 3. John (4), b. Sept. 13, 1808. 4.

Joseph (4), b. Nov. 8, 1809. Page 932

75th year, throws much light on the domestic life of those who went West at that time. It shows that Thomas Merryfield1 had served in the "old Revolutionary war" and was at Bunker Hill; that others of the family, sons of Thomas,1 were in the war of 1812; that one of the sons was named JOHN2 and another JUSTICE2; that another son, CHARLES,2 had sold out in Ohio and removed to Michigan, where he owned land and a saw-mill; that her husband, whose name was (I suppose) John,2 was drafted in Becket, Mass., and went as far as Lenox; that he hired a substitute to go in his place, who was wounded in the legs at Saratoga and went with a stick three years. She mentions a wagon load of soldiers that left Thomas Merryfield's house in Becket and went toward the seaport; writes that the farmers of Ohio had suffered from frost and as cows were drying up for want of feed they talked of driving them out on the prairies.

She has "broke her specks" and cannot see well; wants to "git enough money to buy a garden spot and house with one room and a butry and bedroom"; had purchased a lot "clost by the meetin'-house" and was to have lived with another "widder woman," but her children "made such a row" because she did not live with them that she consented to do so if they would furnish a good room and make her comfortable. When she lives with THOMAS3 she is often left alone, and so far from neighbors that she cannot make any one hear; wanted to live with WILSON,3 but his health was poor, his wife "narvous" and heavy doctor's bills must be paid. This son had a daughter 20 years of age, one 17, and a son, aged 25, who had settled in southern Ohio; said she could "spin at the great wheel" as well as when young. There is much in this old epistle that I cannot quote, but its perusal suggests that there is a "skeleton in the closet" in every land, in every domestic circle. From what we have gleaned from the letter and correspondence with a venerable member of the family in Springfield, Thomas Merryfield had sons and descendants as follows:

1. OLIVER,2 b. 1773; m. Experience Norcott, 1798, and had issue:

I. OLIVER L.,3 b. 1800; m. Sophia Hill, in 1823, and had:

(I). Christopher,4 b. 1828; m. Nov. 27, 1857, Sarah M. Wait. He was postmaster at Bancroft twenty years and postmaster in Becket four years; lumber dealer. His son, Oliver L., 5 m. in 1893 Nellie Borell. He has four other children, one a teacher.

2. JOHN,2 who went to Ohio. He was b. 1811; his wife b. 1808; had one dau., m. Webster Wayne, and sons Thomas3 and Wilson3 (see letter),(*) who had issue; post-office address in 1839, Montana, Portage Co., Ohio.
3. JUSTICE,2|both settled in Ohio and had issue.
4. CHARLES,2

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